Casa Batlló, a most impressive and beautiful building, won one of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra 2004 Awards for the glorious revival of a masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí and for the special innovations launched to enable the visually impaired to enjoy their visit.

In the Passeig de Gràcia , between the streets Consell de Cent and Aragó on the south-western side, stands the famous street block popularly known as l'illa de la discòrdia ('block of discord'), due to the contrast in the architecture of its buildings, all from the first decade of the 20th century. Casa Batlló , located at number 43 in this boulevard, was designed by Antoni Gaudí (a little further up the street, on the right-hand side on the corner with Carrer Provença, is the Milà house ' La Pedrera', designed by Gaudí shortly after works ended at Casa Batlló).

When Mr. Batlló asked Gaudí to remodel the house in 1904 he decided that the main floor (Planta Noble) would become his home and each of the other upper floors would be divided into two flats to be rented out. Gaudí added a gallery, new balconies and polychrome ceramics. Inside he reorganised the spaces and unified the courtyards and the existing staircase in order to achieve more light and ventilation. The interior patio was enlarged and covered with ceramic tiles dark blue at the top, getting progressively lighter towards the ground floor, in order to achieve a better natural lighting. He completed this intervention with the addition of two floors finished with a spectacular ceramic crowing. At the top of the building, two attics were built on opposite sides, for the laundry and water tanks, with bricked-up parabolic vaults.

Rather than a building, Casa Batlló is a dream turned into reality, intriguing by its extreme design, its repertoire of visual solutions, the creative use of innumerable materials and colour and the allegorical references to the animal and organic world.

Modernism (a cultural movement during the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries) is one of the principal attractions of Barcelona , to the extent that many of the city's modernist buildings are acknowledged by UNESCO as World Heritage sites (Casa Batlló was on July 2005). The movement was given different names in different countries: Modernismo in Spain and Art Nouveau in France and Belgium, . Gaudi's style could be described as a mix of Modernismo and his own unique style which was influenced by shapes and structures from the natural world.

Main entrance to the building is on street level on the ground floor where the reception area is and there is an elevator from Gaudi's time. Certain types of wheelchairs might not fit inside and the Casa has a narrow wheelchair on free loan to complete the visit to the main floor and upper floors(the roof and such level areas are not adapted for PRM and adapted toilets are not available in the premises). Disabled visitors will be given special personalized attention and might request for a companion guide if needed.

Audioguides are available in Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Chinese and Japanese. There is an audioguide specially designed for blind and visually impaired people (adapted audiodescriptions), leaflets and panels in Braille and hands-on scale models of the Planta Noble and the façade.

Opening Schedule:
Daily from 09.00 to 20.00

Prices:
Planta Noble + interior floor+ audioguide:
(Blind people adapted)
General: 11 Euros
Reducided: 8.80 Euros
Planta Noble+Roof+Chimneys+audioguide:
General: 16.50 Euros

CASA BATLLÓ, S. L.
Passeig de Gràcia, 43
08007 BARCELONA
Tel.: + 34 93 216 03 06
F ax: + 34 93 488 30 90
infovisites@casabatllo.es
www.casabatllo.es

Rebecca Arce

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